Green light for school despite safety fears

The go-ahead has been given to build a new two-storey school and nursery in Bishopbriggs - despite fears being raised over public safety.

Planning permission was granted at a meeting of East Dunbartonshire Council’s planning board last week.

Councillors voted through the plan to replace the existing Auchinairn Primary and Woodhill Primary schools by 13 votes to 6.

Bishopbriggs South Councillor Gordan Low (SNP) had moved for the application to be refused on a series of safety grounds.

He is backing local residents and parents protesting against the access route for heavy traffic involved in the construction of the new facility on the Woodhill site.

He said: “The planning board was told the new school might hold up to 660 pupils in addition to 145 nursery pupils.

“Everyone knows the traffic chaos at the current school and yet the Lab/Tory/LibDem administration members choose to ignore the implications of a school twice that size. All we’re told is access roads will be closed to traffic during pick-up times and only nursery parents will be allowed to turn at the school. How will any of this be enforced?

“Meanwhile, construction traffic is set to use completely inadequate residential cul-de-sacs to access the site.”

Councillor Low said the new school would be “bulging at the seams” and added: “With outdoor facilities less than those recommended by Sport Scotland, planning papers suggest it may even have to share community lets with the neighbouring Bishopbriggs Academy.”

He said administration members were ignoring 700 parents and residents petitioning against the plans.

But Councillor Billy Hendry (Con) chairman of the Planning Board, who moved for approval, said: “All representations were considered and permission has been granted with the relevant conditions in place.”

The new school is scheduled to open in 2016/17 as part EDC’s Primary School Improvement Programme.